Though Bishop Elementary School no longer has students in its classrooms, city educators have turned the East Main Street building into one of the district’s most important sites.

It is being used as the sole registration center for families new to the city signing up their children for school. Superintendent Abby Dolliver says having one location will cut down on long lines and make the process less arduous for school employees.

“For planning purposes, it should make things a lot easier,” Dolliver said Wednesday. “It will be more efficient in assigning where people go. And the message will come from one person.”

Officials opened the center earlier this month, and it will remain in operation throughout the year as new families enter the district. And with full-day kindergarten now offered across the city for the first time, a centralized registration area was vital to ensure paperwork was processed early enough to quality students for a lottery at four of its schools.

That process took place on Monday, when 24 children were selected for full-day kindergarten at Huntington, Mahan, Moriarity and Veterans elementary. Each of those schools will also have part-time kindergarten to accommodate those not chosen for the full-day program.

Full-day kindergarten is already in place at Stanton, Uncas and Wequonnoc schools.

Jolea Cannon, a former Norwich teacher who now works for Old Lyme-based LEARN, was retained as a registrar for the district. She’ll oversee the center and also sees it as a benefit.

“One group of information is given out by one person. It takes a load off the secretaries on the first day of school,” Cannon said. “We hope that it will be a smooth process.”

District officials have advertised the registration change on their website, and have posted signs in various locations across the city.

“We have some bugs to work out, but it should flow very easily,” Cannon said. “And we’re asking for families to help by getting kids registered now. Don’t wait until the first day of school.”

Melanie Moon, of Norwich, said shifting registration away from individual schools to a coordinated site may present difficulties for families new to the city.

“A person is going to want to see their new school anyway, so why not just keep it there,” she said.